In the online survey of a representative provincial sample, four-in-five British Columbians (81%) say they would like to have a regulation similar to the one currently in place in Ontario, where it is mandatory to display calories on any menu that lists or depicts standard food items offered for sale by a regulated food service premises.

British Columbians aged 18-to-34 are more likely to support this measure (85%) than those aged 35-to-54 (79%) and those aged 55 and over (also 79%).

In 2012, the Province of British Columbia implemented the Informed Dining initiative, a programdesigned to allow residents to have nutrition information available when eating at participating food service establishments. The program is not mandatory,

Across British Columbia, 41% of residents currently use an activity tracker—a proportion that rises to 47% in Metro Vancouver. These devices monitor certain fitness-related metrics, including distance walked, amount of exercise and/or calorie consumption.

“There are already many residents of British Columbia who are keeping track of their physical activity,” says Mario Canseco, President of Research Co. “Having the opportunity to access nutritional information at all restaurants, and not only those currently taking part in the Informed Dining initiative, would certainly be a welcome development.”

Methodology:

Results are based on an online study conducted from November 14 to November 16, 2018, among 800 adults in British Columbia. The data has been statistically weighted according to Canadian census figures for age, gender and region in British Columbia. The margin of error—which measures sample variability—is +/- 3.5 percentage points, nineteen times out of twenty.